Embarkation gangway



Aug. 7, 1962 Filed June 25, 1959 .afl

United States Patent Oilce l 3,047,891 Patented Aug. 7, 1952 3,647,891 EMBARKATN GANGWAY Dimitri Golde, Woluwe-St.-Pierre, and Pierre Vierendeel, Brussels, Belgium, assignors to Le Chassis Metalliqlue Belge Chamebel SA., Brussels, Belgium, a Belgian company Filed .lune 23, 1959, Ser. No. 822,269 Claims priority, application Belgium Oct. 14, 1958 Claims. (Cl. 114-71) This invention relates to a gangway for loading passengers .and goods on to a conveyance, in which the height from the ground of the loading apertures or doors may vary from one type of conveyance to another, fixed for a relatively short distance, but variable in front of the exit from the control or waiting room. It refers more particularly to a gangway which enables passengers to obtain direct admission to an aircraft from the departure hall of an airport. i

According to the invention the gangway comprises a carrier apparatus including supporting girders formed of bars pivotally connected one to another to form lazy tongs, in such a manner that the carrier apparatus is retractable. These supporting girders are preferably braced by means of transverse members disposed between the corresponding articulations of each of the girders. The carrier apparatus may furthermore comprise one or more bracing girders formed in the manner of the supporting girders of bars which are pivotally connected one to another, and preferably the intersection articulations of the bars forming a bracing girder are connected to the transverse bracing members of the supporting girders.

One of the ends of the carrier apparatus is connected to a fixed construction, for example to the wall of a building or thel head of a xed bridge by the interposition of an articulation which renders the gangway capable of orientation, this articulation comprising a vertical pivoting axis and/or a horizontal pivoting axis. l

The overhanging portion of the carrier apparatus 1s supported by a crutch member, which is preferably displaceable, regulable in height and pivotally connected to an element of the supporting girder in the vicinity of the free end of the carrier apparatus, in such a manner that the end itself remains overhanging and is capable of reaching without obstruction the loading aperture of the conveyance. The crutch member is preferably mounted on a device which is adapted to be displaced over the ground and to modify its displacement the length and the direction of the gangway. For this purpose the device is provided with displacement means which may be capable of orientation and/ or motordriven, and are constituted, for example, by Wheels or caterpillars. The crutch meinber comprises at least one vertical jack which permits of ready modification of the height of the free end of the gangway by a control means actuated from the cabin of the device.

The gangway furthermore comprises a superstructure resting on the retractable carrier apparatus and constituted by telescopic sections foming `a closed passageway which may consist of a transparent material.

Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a loading gangway. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of elements of the carrier apparatus. l

FIG. 3 is a plan View showing diiferent positions of the gangway.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show parts of the telescopic passageway viewed from the side and from the end. n

FIGS. 6 to 8 show different possibilities of mounting the passageway on the carrier apparatus, and

'.iG. 9 shows the gangway in the retracted condition. The carrier apparatus 1 of the gangway is constituted by supporting girders 2 and 3 braced by transverse members 23 and a wind bracing girder 4. It will be apparent that the carrier apparatus may comprise more than two supporting girders, and that two of the latter may be braced by more than one bracing girder, but in the embodiment selected by way of example and illustrated in the drawing there are provided, as representing the most simple form, only the three girders 2, 3 and 4 (FIG. 2.). Each of these girders comprises merely bars 5 which are connected one to another by articulations 6 and by end articulations 7 and S in such a way that each of the girders forms lazy tongs. The bars of the horizontal bracing girder 5 are articulated at 6 and on the transverse members 23 connecting the articulations 7 of the supporting girders 2 and 3. Thus the carrier apparatus is retractable, a pull or a push inthe axial direction exerted on any one of the articulations of a girder being communicated to the entire carrier apparatus.

rl'he carrier apparatus is connected to a fixed construction, for example the wall 9 of a building comprising an einbarkation hall 10 having an exit door 1l., by means of an articulation comprising a vertical pivoting axis 12 and a horizontal pivoting yaxis 13, which enables the gangway to have the desired direction imparted thereto and to be inclined upwardly or downwardly according to the position of the embarkation door of the conveyance, for example an aircraft located in front of the wall of an airport, as illustrated in FIG. l by the lines 14 and 14 for the purpose of inclination .and in FIG. 3 by 15, .15 `and 15 in respect of different positions in a plane, in order to communicate with conveyances located at 16, 16' and 16 or in yet other positions. In the normal position of retraction the gangway occupies the position according to FIG. 9.

The carrier apparatus 1 is supported .by a telescopic crutch member 17 and mounted on a conveying device 18 adapted to be displaced on the ground by means of orientable and/ or motor-driven wheels 19 or possibly by means of caterpillars. The crutch mem-ber may comprise one or more vertical jacks controlled from the cabin of the conveying device 1S. It engages either with an articulation 6 of the bracing or with two articulations 7 of an element of the carrier apparatus near the free end. The final elements of the carrier apparatus are preferably disposed in overhanging fashion, so that the end of the gangway may reach without obstruction `the entry to the conveyance.

lThe superstructure of the gangway is constituted by telescopic sections Ztl (FIGS. 4 and 5) of a covered passage resting on the transverse members 23. According to the disposal of the passage in the supporting girders it is of the enclosed type (FIG. 6), the underslung type (FlG. 7) or elevated type (FIG. 8). The free end of each section 2d is connected in convenient manner at Z1 (FIG. 4) to a part o-f the carrier apparatus, s o that the passage may be telescopically actuated together with the gangway.

The gangway may be constructed of light materials, and the bars 5 forming the girders of the carrier apparatus may have the form of ilat bars of constant section or profiled to provide equal resistance or be of sectional form, for example in L-form or U-forin. The sections 20 of the passage may be of a thin sheet metal furnished with windows 22 or of a transparent synthetic material.

Regulation of the gangway, i.e., of its length, its orientation and its inclination is obtained by suitable displacement of the conveying means 18 accompanied by an adjustment in the extension of the crutch member. When the gangway is not in use it may be folded together and located near the wall (FIG. 9), whilst leaving the space anar/,sei

in front of the Wall free for movement of the conveyance.

The gangway according to the invention facilitates the direct embarkation of passengers, who are no longer required to traverse the runway of the conveyance.

it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments which have been described and illustrated by Way of example, and that no departure is made therefrom by the application of modications, for eX- ample by mounting the gangvvay to be retractable on the conveyance.

We claim:

1. An extensible and collapsible gangvvay having opposite ends, one of which is supported, the gangway comprising: bars pivotally connected together to constitute vertically disposed `first and second lazy tongs, transverse bars disposed in a horizontal plane and pivotally connected to both said lazy tongs to connect the same in spaced relation, wind bracing cross members pivotally connected together to constitute a horizontal lazy tongs bracing coplanar with said transverse bars, the latter lazy tongs bracing being pivotally connected in symmetrical relation to said transverse bars so that all of said lazy tongs are extendible and collapsible together While the transverse bars maintain the spacing of the tirst and second lazy tongs, and a telescopic Walkway connected to said bars and adapted to telescope with said lazy tongs extended and collapsed.

2. A gangway comprising a plurality of bars, pivots connecting said bars together to constitute vertically disposed rst and second lazy tongs trusses adapted to be extended and retracted, transverse bars connected to spaced pivots of said rst and second lazy tongs trusses to connect said trusses in spaced relationship, a further plurality of bars, further pivots connecting said latter bars together to constitute a horizontal lazy tongs truss, said transverse bars being connected to spaced pivots of the horizontal lazy tongs truss at a location on said transverse bars intermediate the connection of said transverse bars to the pivots of the rst and second lazy tongs trusses so that all of said lazy tongs trusses extend and retract together, means supporting said trusses and permitting pivotal movement thereof in a horizontal and vertical plane, and a telescopic Walkway including telescopic sections supported by said trusses and connected to selected pivots of said trusses whereby said sections are telescopic with the trusses extended and collapsed,

3. A gangway as claimed in claim 2, wherein said trusses have opposite ends, and said means supports said trusses at one of said ends, the gangway comprising means supporting said trusses at a location spaced from the first said means, for extending and collapsing the trusses and pivotally displacing the same With respect to said irst means.

4. A gangway as claimed in claim 3, wherein the latter said means comprises a crutch connected to at least one of said pivots, and Wheels on said crutch permitting movement thereof, said crutch being of adjustable height to pivotally move said trusses in a vertical plane.

5. A gangavay comprising a pair of parallel lazy tongs 4trusses including pivot joints, a plurality of transverse bars pivotally connected to said trusses at spaced pivot joints thereof to maintain the same in spaced relationship, a plurality of wind bracing cross members pivotally connected together to form a lazy tongs truss, the latter truss being pivotally connected to the transverse bars midway between theiirst said trusses such that all said lazy tongs trusses extend and collapse together, a fixed vertical pivot, a xed horizontal pivot, said trusses being connected to said horizontal and vertical pivots so that the trusses are pivotable in 4horizontal and vertical planes, a vertically adjustable crutch supporting said trusses at a location spaced from the vertical and horizontal pivots7 wheels supporting said crutch and permitting movement thereof, and a telescopic Walkway including telescopic sections connected to selected pivots of said trusses whereby said Walliway is telescopic with the trusses extended and collapsed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 430,935 Edwards .lune 24, 1890 713,561 Doyen Nov. 11, 1902 2,344,772 Heidenreich Mar. 21, 1944 2,688,761 Good Sept. 14, 1954 2,697,845 Broner Dec. 28, 1954 2,700,169 Henion Jan. 25, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,5017 Norway Mar. 1, 1918 534,913 Great Britain Mar. 2l, 1941 447,143 Italy Apr. 4, 1949 

